Greenfield Fire Department Will Remember 9/11 Downtown Saturday

MILWAUKEE, WI — Firefighters from across Milwaukee County, including some from the Greenfield Fire Department, will gather in downtown Milwaukee at the Deer District Saturday to honor the first responders killed on 9/11, the department posted on Facebook.

As we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Americans who are old enough will remember exactly where they were that day.

"Please come and honor the firefighters who gave the ultimate sacrifice," the event's flier said.

The country felt a collective trauma as one and then two planes flew into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. As the truth dawned on people watching from their TVs that America was under attack, another plane took aim at the Pentagon. A fourth was brought down in a field in Pennsylvania in a final act of heroism by passengers who realized their flight had been hijacked.

Nearly 3,000 Americans, including 10 from Wisconsin, were killed in the suicide attacks carried out by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaida.

Those that remember may have vivid images and memories of that day.

Others, especially those born into a post-9/11 world, do not remember first-hand the events that changed the course of their own America.

A generation of Americans relies on the stories, ceremonies and mourning from their parents, teachers and communities to understand what 9/11 is.

While some local departments have planned ceremonies of their own, the Greenfield Fire Department has decided to head to downtown Milwaukee to join area firefighters and first responders.

The Deer District will host the many Milwaukee County firefighters for a daylong event that starts at noon. A formal ceremony is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m., Greenfield Fire Department posted on Facebook.

The ceremony will include a display of gear representing the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11. A candle vigil will be held for the firefighters who have died from cancer in the years after that fateful day.

The event will run from 12 p.m.-8 p.m. Saturday at the Deer District near the Fiserv Forum, located at the corner of Vel Phillips Avenue and West Juneau, the event page said.